Exercise After Burn Injury

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Major burn injuries can change how the body looks and works. Burn injuries can also lead to body image concerns. Body image refers to how happy, comfortable, and confident a person is with how he or she looks. About one-third of burn survivors have severe distress about changes in the way their body looks, feels, and works when they are first hospitalized. Almost everyone has ups and downs as they heal. But most children and adults get used to the change in their appearance over time.

Introduction

Many burn injury survivors who have had a change in their physical appearance feel anxious about how people will react to them when they leave the hospital and go back into public places. Some of the social challenges burn survivors experience during the transition from the safe zone of the hospital back into the community include: